Another Cade Story
by Mu5icWolf157
Summary: Sorry, couldn't think of a name. Can't think of a summary either. I will at school today and then I'll change it. Cade, Bade, and a little Tandre if you squint real hard and turn your head to the side
1. Chapter 1

I stood in the middle of the path, letting the cool autumn wind shift my blood-red hair around my face. Trees clothed in shades of scarlet and gold enclosed the space around me except for the narrow ribbon of flat dirt ahead of and behind me and night was beginning to fall. It was all very calming; the soft whispering of the wind through the changing leaves, the faint trickling of a brook somewhere nearby. I hadn't seen anyone walk down this trail in a while, and I thought I was the only one there until a silky smooth, velvet voice spoke behind me.

"What're you doing here? You know everyone's searching for you, right?" I sighed and swept a stray lock of my hair away from my face as I turned toward the newcomer. She stood facing me, clad in black as always. She sounded uncaring and bored, but I saw the concern and relief in her molten silver eyes as she gazed at me.

"I wanted to get away." I stared at her, and I knew my cocoa-brown eyes were hard and firm, as I had learned to make them. I think somehow it intimidated her. Yeah, that's right, Jadelyn August West was intimidated, but it wasn't because she thought I was going to hurt her or anything. It was because I'm me, and Caterina Hannah Valentine wasn't supposed to be anything but happy and cheerful.

"From what? Cat, your life is perfect. You can sing, you can act, your family is nice and...you're beautiful. What could you possibly want to get away from?" I had to think about that. I honestly wasn't sure what I needed to get away from, but there was _something_ that I had to leave behind for a while. It took me a bit to find out how to word it. Turns out, it was pretty simple.

"You." It was true. I couldn't stand being around Jade any longer. She drove me crazy and made it impossible to keep focused on anything. How many times had I sat there staring at her, without her even knowing? Why else would I act so stupid all of the time? She made me nervous; any time I was near her, I was afraid I would say the wrong thing, in the wrong tone, or accidentally let something slip. I was even getting caught up in her now.

The smooth line of her thin studded eyebrow raising, the feisty gleam in her icy eyes, it all made my heart beat a little bit faster. "Me? Cat, if I did something, if I said anything that upset you, _you've got to tell me._ You realize that your parents, your brother, all of Hollywood Arts, and Tori's parents are all looking for you? They have no idea where you went. They're all worried sick," she finished.

I let the determined light fade from my eyes and I sighed, scuffing at the dirt with my foot. "I'm sorry...no, you didn't do anything. I...don't want to talk about it." How could I possibly admit to Jade that I'm in love with her? Especially when she's so obviously in love with Beck.

I looked up to see that Jade's normally rock-solid eyes had softened. They're usually so thick, like shields keeping anyone from seeing how she's feeling, but now it looks like those walls have crashed. She's letting confusion and worry shine through. "You know you can talk me about anything, right? You're one of my best friends; I care about you..."

"You know what?" That was it. I _had_ to let her know. My mind was made up. It doesn't matter anymore whether or not she rejects me, but I couldn't keep it a secret anymore. I stalked up to Jade, who looked mildly surprised. "If you cared about me, you would pay attention to my feelings. You would notice that I can't keep my eyes off of you, that I am _totally and completely in love with you._" I spaced out the last seven words, taking another step closer to the startled girl with every one of them. When I finished, almost out of breath, I completely closed the gap between us and leaned in to press my lips against hers. She opened her mouth in surprise and I took the opportunity to thrust my tongue into her mouth.

Jade tasted like coffee and mangos. That was her favorite fruit, wasn't it? I took my own sweet time exploring her mouth, trying to deepen the kiss, but it didn't work. She didn't kiss me back. I drew away from her, my heart sinking. She really didn't like me back.

"Jade, I'm...sorry." Tears began to fall from my eyes and I whirled around, taking off into the forest. I knew Jade wasn't going to come looking for me, after what I did. I leaped over any fallen logs in my way and splashed through a stream when I came across it. It didn't matter that twigs and branches were scratching at my arms or that my muscles and my lungs were screaming at me to stop running.

I don't know how long I was running before I finally tripped and fell. I was amazed that I hadn't fallen before then, but I wasn't expecting the pain that came when I hit the ground. I cried out as a broken piece of a stick lodged itself in my back and my blood welled up underneath me. I tried to roll over and reach behind me to pull it out, but I couldn't move. I gasped as the wood grated against me and I tried to stay as still as possible. Blood soaked through my blouse and I saw it run out from under me, staining the ochre leaves red.

I started feeling sleepy...like, really sleepy. The kind where it's hard for you to keep your eyes open and it's just sweet relief when you close them. I knew that wasn't a good thing. I fought to stay awake, but eventually I just couldn't do it anymore. I sighed and shut my eyes, ready for death to come, because I was pretty sure it was unavoidable.

**LINE BREAK HERE**

I stood still, shocked. Cat just kissed me. And told me she was in love with me. And then ran away. _Damn._ I snapped myself out of it, trying to remember which way she went. I'd come so close to getting her back at home, where she belongs. I whipped out my phone as I entered the forest, dialing Tori's father's number.

"Mr. Vega, I found Cat," I said. Before he could say anything else, I continued on. "She...she was acting weird and then ran away. Come help me find her." I didn't quite feel comfortable telling him that she'd kissed me.

"Where are you?" Mr. Vega's voice was urgent and filled with worry and I had to think a little before I remembered exactly where we were.

"Um, Talon Perch State Park. I think we're about halfway through Adler trail." I paused. "Please, please hurry! She was so upset..."

"Okay, I'll call everyone else and let them know. Go ahead and start looking, will you?" I nodded into the phone even though he couldn't see me and hung up. I kept on going through the woods, searching for anything that would give me a clue as to where Cat went. God, she could have gotten herself so lost...

I hesitated for a moment when I reached a narrow stream. Was that...yes, it was! There were shoeprints on the damp dirt on either side of the water. I wasted no time in splashing through, not even caring that I'd just made my boots waterlogged.

I followed the trail of scattered puddles of water until they stopped. How far had she run? I stopped in my tracks when I caught the faint scent of lavender. It smelled just like Cat's perfume, so she couldn't be far away. I called her name and explored around the trees, trying desperately to find my friend.

I caught a glimpse of red-velvet red on the other side of one of the trees. "Cat!" I exclaimed, jogging over. Why was she laying on the ground? I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Cat had to be okay, right?

Wrong. As soon as I rounded the tree, I gasped and pressed myself against the trunk. Cat was lying in a pool of blood, limp and pale. Normally, that sight would give me some kind of sick pleasure, but this was _Cat._ I took a deep breath and circled around her, trying to find out what was making her bleed so badly. I found a stick lodged into her back. I crouched down to feel for a pulse as I got my cell phone back out to call Tori's dad. At first I couldn't feel Cat's pulse at all, but if I didn't move at all I could feel it, very faintly.

"Jade? Jade...are you there?" Oh, right. I had to take a few deep breaths before I could say it out loud.

"Mr. Vega...I found her," I cried. "She's hurt. I...I think she must have fallen on a stick. You've got to hurry! I don't think I can move her. Can you track my phone?"

"God...yes. I'll be there as soon as I can." I hung up and squeezed Cat's hand. _This is all my fault._ My chest heaved as I sobbed, telling her over and over again not to die on me.

**Cat. Will. Not. Die. Just saying. I don't want all my reviews to consist of "NOOOO! CAT CAN'T DIE!" So...now that that's out of the way...what do you think? I don't know how many chapters this'll be, maybe three or four. PLEASE review! I don't care how long it is, or what it says, even if it says "this suks u cant rite go dy in a hole". Because reviews are my motivation :)**


	2. Chapter 2

I sat in the waiting room of the hospital, pacing back and forth. Beck, Tori, Andre, Robbie, Lane, and Cat's family were sitting in the chairs. Lane and Mr. Valentine were trying to comfort his wife, Tori and Robbie were both crying into Andre's shoulders, and Beck sat silently, his head buried in his hands.

"Caterina Valentine?" A nurse poked her head through a door in the back, looking solemnly around the room. All at once, the nine of us raced toward the frightened woman, bombarding her with questions. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she exclaimed, actually shoving us back. "I'll answer questions later. Caterina's family can come see her."

Everyone but Cat's parents, her brother, and myself sighed and moved back to their seats. I had to go see Cat. It's all my fault that she's here, and I wasn't going to sit and wait without knowing whether or not she was going to be okay. The nurse stopped me, telling me again that only family could see Cat. Once her parents were out of earshot, I just went with my natural instinct: lying.

"Look, I really have to see her. I'm...her girlfriend." Yeah, I think I could pull it off. However, I really think it was the pure terror the nurse saw in my face that made her believe me. She let me in, and then began explaining Cat's condition.

The way the wood had entered her body, one of her kidneys had failed. The nurse said it wouldn't cause problems unless something happened to the remaining one. Other than that, she suffered profuse internal and external bleeding, but luckily, she had a common blood type. The nurse also said...that if Cat had been admitted to the hospital just ten minutes later, she would have died. Period. There would have been no saving her. I broke down crying, then. I was sobbing even harder than Cat's mom. And Jade West never cries.

After a while, a couple more nurses finally got me to stop. I could only imagine what I looked like, with mascara running down my puffy red face. I calmed down a little more when they took me to Cat's room, so I could see for myself that she was alright. She didn't look alright to me, though. She had an oxygen mask strapped to her face and many, many things attached to her arms. She looked pale and weak and she was wearing one of those hideous hospital gowns. She was still unconscious. The only thing that _did_ seem okay was the fact that she was breathing, that she was alive.

I couldn't believe that I had caused that. No, I didn't _force_ her to run into the forest, but it was because of me that she did. I should have just kissed her back. I mean, I know I've always liked Cat a little; I was just stunned when she went to kiss me. Who wouldn't be? I was scared I would screw up the moment, that it was just a dream or something, but I screwed it up anyway. Now Cat was lying in a hospital bed with a hole in her back.

I turned to the nurse. "Can...can I please have a couple of minutes alone with her?" I asked. She hesitated, then nodded and exited the room, probably to go get Cat's parents for information or something. I walked up to stand beside her bed, resting my hand on the tiny rail on the side. Cat's ruby red hair was fanned out on either side of her head, and I found myself reaching out to play with a lock of it. It was soft and silky between my fingers, and as I let the feel of it soothe me, I started to study Cat.

That sounds really creepy, but I couldn't help it. I noted everything; the perfect arch of her soft brown eyebrows, her full pink lips under the oxygen mask, the smooth tanned skin running over her cheekbones and jawline, the barely visible beat of her pulse on her neck, the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the gentle slope of her breasts, her perfect hands with the nails painted pastel pink.

I ran my hand over her cheek, then down her neck and her arm, finally ending up at her hand. I took it in my own and leaned down to kiss it, then froze when I heard the door opening behind me. I quickly straightened up and turned around to find Tori and Andre standing still in the doorframe, the others crowding behind them.

"Jade? What're you doing?" Andre asked, stepping out of the doorframe so that he wasn't blocking it anymore. Robbie, Beck, and Lane entered the room and circled up around Cat's bed.

"Yeah, and how'd you get in here before us?" Vega asked, hands on her hips. Beck approached me from behind and wrapped his arm around me, then kissed the top of my head, probably mistaking the expression on my face as fear for Cat.

I smirked, deciding I would play with Tori for a moment. "I told them I was Cat's girlfriend." I watched and laughed inwardly as Vega's eyes widened in shock.

"And they believed you?" she asked, astonished.

"Oh, darlin', it was just a bit of acting!" I said loudly with my Judy Garland accent. I rolled my eyes and turned around, leaning into Beck's side. If only they knew how little acting was involved...but what about Beck? I couldn't have feelings for him and Cat at the same time; I don't do that. But who did I want more? Yes, Beck's been my boyfriend for a little over two years, but...does that mean I can't suddenly leave him for my best friend? My best friend who I was suddenly falling in love with?

No! No, no, no, no. I'm not falling in love with her. I don't like girls. I just feel bad because I almost killed her. Right? Right. So I'll just stop thinking about that, maybe spend the night with Beck. He'll make me feel better about this whole situation.

"Are you sure it was acting? Just what were you doing when we walked in here?" Tori said under her breath. I don't think she meant for me to hear, but how could she _assume _something like that, even if it was clearly true? I whipped around, wrenching myself out of Beck's arms.

"What was that, Vega?" I yelled. She took a step back in surprise and ran into Andre, and he let his hand come up to rest on her shoulder.

"Um, nothing! I—"

Tori was cut off by Lane, who was yelling from beside Cat's bed. "Guys, stop fighting!" Lane called. "She's waking up. Robbie, go get a nurse." I grabbed Beck's arm and dragged him to the side of Cat's bed as Robbie ran out of the room. My heart skipped a beat as Cat's huge chocolate doe-eyes fluttered open. Even though I'd already known she would be okay, seeing her awake just made it so much more believable.

Her eyes, filled with confusion, flicked around the room to land for a moment on each of us. "Hey, Cat. Welcome back," Lane said warmly, as if she'd just been gone at a vacation or something.

"Damn, Cat, you had me scared," I muttered, squeezing Beck's hand. At that moment, Robbie walked in with the doctor that had helped us with Rex a few months ago. Cat paid them no mind and looked over at me with some strange expression I couldn't place. Her gaze searched my face for a few seconds, then her eyes widened and she squeezed them shut.

Oh. She must have thought I would hate her...Well, she shouldn't. She should hate me. I can't even help but to kind of hate myself. However, I didn't have time to tell her this before the doctor ushered us out of the room.

I sighed as we waited outside the door. Even as I leaned into Beck's side and wrapped my arms around him, I felt the tears start to form in the corners of my eyes.

"Jade." Beck lifted my chin so that I was looking at him. "Jade, she's going to be fine. We know that already; why are you crying?" How was I supposed to explain this to him? I guess if anyone should know exactly what went on in the park, it should be him.

"It's not that...just..." I grabbed his hand and lead him away from the others, who watched us retreat down the hall for a moment, then began a conversation amongst themselves. I managed to find an empty room in the next hall and I pulled Beck into it.

"Now, will you tell me what's bugging you?" he asked, crossing his arms. I paced around for a few seconds while he waited patiently for me to reply. I was so glad he wasn't the kind of boyfriend to assume I wanted to break up with him.

"Listen, Beck, I should tell you something..."

**I'm sorry! I got so used to writing during the summer that I forgot how busy I would be with school and band. And then my allergies started up and I feel miserable, but I just HAD to finish a chapter for you guys! It sucks not getting reviews, and the only way I can do that is to keep writing. So, here you are: Chapter 2! **

**I'd love it if y'all could send me some suggestions for the name of this story. I tried SO hard and I can't think of one! So, if you suggest a title and I choose yours, you'll get a shoutout in the next chapter :) I know that doesn't seem like much, but...hey, what else can I do? OH and as for "Opposites Attract", there was a little misunderstanding. But I will be able to continue writing it! So if you had read the first four chapters of it, be waiting for the fifth soon! And if you haven't read it...well, I'd love it if you could go check it out!**

**InfinityForever7: Aww, thanks; I'm glad you don't want me to go die in a hole XD**

**Kit-the-Kitty: Well...I thought I explained that enough...Cat's in love with Jade (obviously) and she was trying to keep it a secret. But being around Jade so much in school and stuff was making it really hard to hide, so she kind of just ran away. Does that help?**

**/endlongauthor'snote**


	3. Chapter 3

"Beck...I-it's _my_ fault Cat is in this situation," I stammered. "It's _my _fault! It could have been stopped, if only I'd..." I couldn't help it. I collapsed against him in tears.

"Sh...Jade...it's okay, please stop crying..." I could feel Becks arms wrap around me and I couldn't help but to feel a little safer in his tight hold. I don't know how long we stayed in that position, but eventually, my sobbing toned down to a light whimpering. Usually, I would kill someone if they said I was sobbing _or_ whimpering, but I was too upset to care.

Beck lifted my chin with a finger and leaned in to kiss me. My thoughts immediately flitted back to that moment, not even two hours ago, when Cat had done the same thing. I began to feel sick to my stomach and pulled away from Beck before his lips could make contact with mine.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Beck asked. "Why would you ever think that what happened to Cat was your fault?" I was glad he didn't ask me why I pulled away from him.

"Because...because it just _is _my fault! I don't know if she'd want me to tell anyone...but let's just say she did something and I didn't do something back and it made her run away through the forest."

"Jade...can you speak in terms I understand? doing 'something' and 'not doing something back' doesn't make any sense to me. Go ahead; I won't let her know you told me," Beck said, rubbing circles on my back. "What did you not do that you think was so bad?" I hesitated, but gave in, knowing he would get me to tell him eventually.

"I...didn't kiss her back," I murmured. I looked at the ground as I said it, but I could still feel Beck's confused gaze. "I should have!" I blurted, forgetting that it was my boyfriend I was talking to. "If I would have just...If I would have kissed her back, we wouldn't be in this situation! She just caught me by surprise is all...and-"

"And what?" Beck interrupted me. "Is there something you're trying to tell me?" he smirked.

"Yes, Beckett!" I shouted, using his full first name for once. "She's in love with me! She told me! And she...she ran away because she...because she thought I'd hate her." I whispered the last part.

"And do you?" It was a simple question, but the conflicting emotions behind it made the meaning much, much stronger. I knew him well enough to read him like a book. He wanted to believe that I didn't like her back, but he wasn't sure. The worst part was the fact that I wasn't sure, either. I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful Cat was, how her lips had tasted on my own. And...

This isn't me. I'm never confused about _anything,_ and this is going to be no different. "Of course I don't hate her," I murmured. "I love her, Beck. I'm just not _in _love with her." _I think._

"Alright. No matter what, you'll always be my girl," he said. "And don't you forget it."

"And you won't tell Cat what I said?" I asked doubtfully. Things hadn't been going my way lately, so I had to make sure.

"I'll never speak of it again," Beck reassured me, planting a kiss on the top of my head. "You want to go see if we're allowed to talk to her yet?"

"Yeah...I've got to tell her that I'm still her best friend," I smiled through the sticky wetness on my face. Beck raised his arm to dry my tears on his sleeve, and we left the room. By the time the two of us reached Cat's room, the others were gone. We must have stayed in that back room a lot longer than I'd thought.

I entered the room and Beck followed, not holding my hand at my request. "Hey, Cat," I said gently.

Cat, whose oxygen mask was gone, pulled the sheets of the hospital bed over her head. "You hate me. You don't have to talk to me," she murmured, her voice wavering. Spot on. I had to fix this.

"Cat, I don't hate you," I assured her. "And I do want to talk to you. I've got to make sure my best friend is okay, don't I?" I hoped she would believe me.

"Oh, so you're going to ignore it and act like it never happened?" Cat's voice was hard and bitter, and I flinched. "Well, _I_ can't ignore it, Jade, as much as I wish I could. I just...can't..." I heard her dissolve into tears, and I glanced at Beck.

"Should I go?" he whispered in my ear. I nodded and he complied, leaving the room. I sighed and approached Cat's bed.

"Cat." She didn't respond. "_Cat._ Please talk to me," I pled, praying she would just hear me out. When she still didn't reply, I sat on the edge of her bed and began talking. I didn't know where it was leading to, but I was desperate to get her to talk to me. "You almost died. That was my fault. You know I'm never going to forgive myself for that, right?" I paused. "You know, when you kissed me...I can't honestly say I didn't feel anything. Like...you know when you got me those scissors for Christmas last year? Well, they weren't really special because they were from a movie...they were special because _you_ gave them to me...and..." Tears were falling again, and I saw Cat slowly lower the covers out of the corner of my eye. I didn't dare turn to face her.

"And...and...I love you, Cat!" I blurted. Shit, did I really just...my God. I did. Without even asking myself first! Well, the damage is done. There's no going back now. May as well finally admit my feelings to her, as well as to myself. "I—I love you, and I was just so scared! I'm sorry I didn't kiss you back; I'm sorry you thought it was because I don't like you! I just...I thought it was too good to be true...do you forgive me?" I held my breath, waiting for an answer.

I turned around, hurt. Couldn't she at least show some sign that she had heard me? "...Oh." Tears were streaming down Cat's face, as well. I reached up to wipe some of them off with my sleeve, and I flinched when I remembered Beck doing the same to me but ten minutes ago.

Fuck, _Beck!_ I'd just told him that I _didn't_ feel this way about Cat! Now he's going to think I'm even more of a gank. Just because I'm in...in love with Cat doesn't mean I don't still love him. On second thought, he _has_ always been more like a brother than a boyfriend to me. Either way, he's going to be upset...

Oh well, Beck was a problem for another time. "Don't cry, Kitty," I whispered, running my fingers through her hair. "I hate it when you cry..."

"It's just...I can't believe you actually like me back," she said. "I tried so hard to distract myself with cute guys, because you were..." her eyes widened. "because you were taken! Jade, what about Beck?"

"Um...I'll worry about it later. What's important now is that you're safe, no thanks to me. Promise never to get yourself hurt again?" I asked, meaning for it to be a halfway serious joke, though her answer was completely serious.

"I promise. Um..." She looked over my shoulder and I turned, flinching when I saw Beck waving through the window in the door.

"I...I better go...tell him," I said, not really wanting to leave Cat. She nodded and I got up from her bed, attempting to compose myself as I crossed the room. I opened the door and shut it behind me. "Hey, Beck...I actually have something else to tell you..."

Oh, this is going to be harder than I thought.

**And...voila! SURPRISE! I can't believe I haven't updated any of my stories in three months! I'm so awful! I'm so, so sorry guys. Some things came up that I didn't expect, and then...I hate to admit this...but my mom bought me Skyrim and I haven't stopped playing it till this weekend. And that's only because I was sick again. Sooo...I remembered that I sort of abandoned you guys and wrote a chapter for this story! Granted, it's a pretty crappy one, since I haven't written in so long, but I swear it'll get better soon! Trust me, I'm never going on hiatus that long ever again.**

**So anyway, I only got one suggestion for a title! I'd like a few more before I decide, though... so if you want, you can do that :) Who saw "A Christmas Tori" last night? Liz and Ari were pretty dang hot in those short Christmas dresses xD **

**And is it just me, or is Cat getting really...loud and obnoxious? And Jade is getting meaner towards her. I dunno about you guys, but I'm not going to start writing that into my stories. I'm going to keep them just the way they were when...well, when I started writing about them. So...yeah. Ciao! **

**Dang, I really suck at remembering things! Okay, so SINCE I've been playing Skyrim so much, I've developed a bit of an...obsession. So don't be surprised when a VictoriousXSkyrim crossover comes out. I don't want to decide on a pairing for it, so...should it be Cade, Jori, Cori? You tell me, and the pairing with the most votes gets it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everybody! I am sooo sorry I have been inactive for the past…six and a half months? Anyway, I know now that I'm NOT going to be able to finish this story and I am going to let somebody "adopt" it and finish it if they want to. So if you want to write the rest of it, review on this chapter and in three days I'll post a new chapter saying who I think the story should go to. Have fun!


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